Manual labor workers often face significant physical hazards on the job. All it takes is one fall from height to lead to a spinal cord injury or a traumatic brain injury, for example. One slip-and-fall accident could easily lead to fractured bones, a concussion or other serious injuries.
But in some cases, these workers are also at risk for repetitive strain injuries. One example is tennis elbow. Despite the name, this injury often occurs in people who have never played tennis in their lives, and it can be a product of their work environment.
Repeating the same motion
Repetitive strain injuries like tennis elbow happen when someone repeats the same motion over and over again, often for years or even decades. In tennis players, this comes from swinging a racket. Tennis elbow involves extreme inflammation and pain, often on the outside of the joint, as the muscles, tendons and ligaments become irritated or damaged.
But there are many manual labor workers who also have to make similar motions. Someone who works on a road construction crew may need to use shovels, sledgehammers and pickaxes. A carpenter needs to use a hammer. Someone working on an assembly line or in a factory may have to repeatedly pick up the same items and set them down again.
All of this repetition can lead to similar types of inflammation in the elbows and other joints, which can be so painful that it makes it impossible for them to work.
If you are suffering from a repetitive strain injury and you believe it was caused by your employment, then it is important for you to know what rights you have to workers’ comp benefits.